How can comets be seen from earth

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Subscriber Exclusive Content. Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars? How viruses shape our world. Speaking of tails, that particular appendage might be the most important factor in determining whether a comet can be branded as a truly prominent object.

In all five boroughs, Koch had arranged for designated locations to temporarily extinguish their normally bright lights to give his constituents the opportunity to get a better view of this famous comet, which was low in the western evening sky.

Local astronomy clubs set up telescopes for the general public. I brought my inch Dobsonian telescope and used low power to provide a nice wide-field view. The line of people patiently waiting for a look was incredibly long, but after peering through the eyepiece and seeing only a small, nebulous patch with a starlike center, virtually every person asked the same question: "Where's the tail?

Indeed, a comet can get bright yet lack a tail. To the unaided eye, it appeared more like a nova, a moderately bright yellow star, in the constellation Perseus.

So, it appears that the tail is what determines how impressive a comet will look to the average person. Related: Amazing Comet Photos by Stargazers.

Now back to the original question: When might we see another bright comet? In the table below, I have listed the brightest comets that have appeared over the past 50 years. There are eight on the list, making an average of one about every 6.

Of course, they didn't appear precisely at 6. In , for instance, Comet Bennett — which put on a spectacular show in late March and early April — was followed in May by Comet White-Ortiz-Bolelli, a rare sungrazing comet.

Check here for guides and fun tips that you can use to observe comets. You can also check our news section for updates on the latest comets. Explore the Night with Bob King. By: Bob King October 27, Celestial Objects to Observe. We examine circumstances and expectations for the current apparition of Comet Leonard, which may become the year's brightest comet. By: Bob King October 13, Catch one of the most active small bodies in the solar system during a rare superoutburst. By: Bob King September 29, If you like mixing comets with the quietude of observing in the small hours, September opens with five fuzzy vagabonds just waiting for a visit.

By: Bob King September 1, Bright comets will be scarce this year, but you can see one of the better ones this month as it races from Aquila to Canes Venatici.

In other news, a new, bright nova has flared in Sagittarius. By: Bob King April 7, If you own an 8-inch or larger telescope you might see more than a dozen new and returning comets this year, including one potential naked-eye candidate. Every time a comet comes close to the Sun, a part of it melts. Over time, it will completely disappear. A comet does not give off any light of its own. What seems to be light from the comet is actually a reflection of our Sun's light.

Sunlight bounces off the comet's ice particles in the same way light is reflected by a mirror. A few comets come close enough to the Earth for us to see them with our eyes.

Halley's Comet, for example, can be seen from Earth every 76 years.